Assignment history

Inventors

Based on the patent document, the sole inventor is Michael Ragusa. The patent's priority data links back to an application filed on May 30, 2017. The original assignee is listed as Haemonetics Corporation. Given that Haemonetics is the assignee on the initial filing, Michael Ragusa's employer at the time of invention was Haemonetics Corporation. There are no unusual patterns, such as inventor departure, noted in the public record.

Original assignee

The original assignee of record is Haemonetics Corporation. Haemonetics is a publicly-traded, global medical technology company that provides blood and plasma supplies and services. The company was founded in 1971 and has a long history of developing and marketing products for blood component collection, surgical blood salvage, and hospital transfusion services. The "System and method for collecting plasma" described in US patent 10,980,934 is core to their business, and they actively market products like the NexSys PCS® plasmapheresis system which appear to embody the patent's claims. Haemonetics is an active operating company.

Assignment timeline

A search of the USPTO Patent Assignment Search database for US patent 10,980,934 reveals only the initial assignment from the inventor to the original assignee. No subsequent assignments have been recorded.

• 2020-07-16 (executed) / recorded 2020-07-17 — Reel 053915/0631
  • Conveyance: Assignment of Assignor's Interest
  • Assignor: RAGUSA, MICHAEL
  • Assignee: HAEMONETICS CORPORATION
  • Correspondent: Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, Seaport West, 155 Seaport Boulevard, Boston, MA 02210-2604
  • Context: This is the standard initial assignment of the invention from the employee inventor to their employer, recorded shortly after the application was filed.

Timeline diagram

timeline
    title Ownership of US 10980934
    2017 : Priority application filed
    2020 : Application filed by Haemonetics
         : Assigned to Haemonetics Corp
    2021 : Patent issued
    2025 : First infringement suit filed

NPE / troll-pattern signals

1. Shell-entity transfer: Not present. The patent remains with the original assignee, Haemonetics Corporation, which is a substantial operating company.
2. Known asserter in the chain: Not present. The sole assignee, Haemonetics Corporation, is a medical technology manufacturer and is not found on public lists of NPEs.
3. Repeat correspondent across the chain: Not present. There is only one assignment on record. The correspondent, Nutter McClennen & Fish LLP, is a well-established law firm representing a mix of clients.
4. Cascading transfers: Not present. There have been no transfers since the initial assignment.
5. Pre-litigation transfer: Not present. The patent has not been transferred. Litigation filed in 2025 was initiated by the original assignee, Haemonetics Corporation.
6. Bankruptcy fire-sale: Not present. Haemonetics is a financially healthy, publicly-traded company.
7. Privateering: Not present. The assertion is being handled directly by the operating company that developed the technology.
8. Defensive aggregator (anti-NPE): Not present. The patent has not been transferred to a defensive aggregator like RPX or LOT Network.

Verdict

Operating-company assertion

The patent has remained with its original inventor's employer, Haemonetics Corporation, a major medical technology manufacturer that sells products embodying the claims. The assignment history shows only the initial, standard transfer from the inventor to the company. Recent court filings confirm that Haemonetics itself is directly asserting this patent against a competitor, which is a classic example of an operating company enforcing its intellectual property rights.

Verification of the assignment record can be performed at the USPTO Assignment Search page.